


Coffee Shop Crush

by Kivea



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bets & Wagers, Coffee Shops, Comedy, Crushes, Cryle Week, M/M, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24218488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: Day 7: Free Day!Kyle worked at a coffee shop. The same coffee shop as Craig, a coworker that he liked to spend time with. A coworker that liked to tease and annoy him. A coworker that he visited when he was off shift, and who visited him when he was on shift.A coworker that maybe, just maybe, he had a bit of a crush on.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Craig Tucker
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68
Collections: Cryle Week 2020





	Coffee Shop Crush

Kyle let out a frustrated sigh as he withdrew his laptop from his bag, sitting down at the table in the oh-so-familiar coffee shop. It was a place he knew well, which was why he chose it as a place to start on his stupid essay for class. At least it was somewhere he felt comfortable. The smell of fresh coffee and the day’s cakes helped clear his mind and get his brain into work mode, which was what he would need to tackle this assignment.

He glanced up as someone unceremoniously dropped his order of one latte and a pain au chocolate on the table and took a seat opposite him, resting their chin on the palm of their hand. He shot them a disapproving look for the interruption, but just got the usual bored expression in return.

“You’ve got to be the only loser on the planet who hangs out in the same place he works.”

“Thanks for your opinion. I didn’t ask for it.”

Craig snorted in amusement, though his face never changed or betrayed the amusement. “What’s the laptop for?”

“I’m working on an assignment for class. Being at work kinda helps me…concentrate.”

“Loser.”

“Did you come over here for anything in particular, or are you just here to bug me?”

With a melodramatic sigh Craig shrugged his shoulders. “I’m on front with Scott today, so I’m trying to spend as much time as possible away from him.”

They looked over at the same time to see a familiar, overly friendly brunette behind the counter serving customers with a bright smile on his face. There were a number of people that Kyle knew Craig didn’t like. It included Scott; anyone who was overly happy or friendly. He was surprised Craig and Clyde were so close with how outgoing the latter was, though he had a nasty streak that probably pulled Craig towards him.

“The whole shift?”

“Yup. The whole shift.”

“Dude, lame.”

“I know. So, what’s your assignment about?”

Kyle would be lying if he didn’t say one of the reasons why he chose that time to go to the coffee shop to work on his assignment was who was working on any given day. He worked there, he had access to the rota, and he knew who would be on shift. Could he really be blamed? Craig was a…lot of things.

He was a calming influence despite how insufferable he could be.

He was a man with a cruel smirk and a jawline that Kyle dreamed about.

He was someone who would sit and listen to Kyle prattle on about anything and everything yet was quick enough to interject his own witty remark when he had one.

He was most definitely an asshole and someone Kyle probably shouldn’t be so interested in getting to know. In a completely platonic sense.

It was unfortunate that eventually they heard the voice of Wendy, the manager on duty, calling for Craig to get back to work and help Scott behind the counter. When they looked there was a queue

forming, and Craig gave an all too dramatic sigh as he got up and headed back to the counter. Kyle watched for a few minutes as the man began to work and couldn’t help but wonder how he ended up in a customer facing role. He wasn’t sure Craig knew how to smile like a normal person.

It was always funny to watch him work with Scott, who in contrast always had a smile on his face. He was drawn to watching the two interact around the customers, the brunette constantly trying to flatter or make friends with Craig, who shot him down at every opportunity. It was kind of pathetic.

Maybe he watched for more than a few minutes. He watched until Craig’s eyes snapped to him, giving an exaggerated eye roll as he gestured behind him where Scott was still rambling on. Kyle snorted with a smirk on his face before Craig turned to address whatever Scott had said.

He turned back to his computer. It was going to look suspicious if he got caught staring again.

It was half an hour later when Craig got let off for his break and came to the table with another coffee for Kyle. By that point the redhead was absorbed in his writing, barely noticing that the other man had sat down at the table with him.

Craig didn’t disturb him. Just made himself comfortable on the other side of the table on his phone, choosing Kyle’s company instead of whoever was out in the staff area where they usually took their breaks.

It was normal for them, to spend their breaks together, even when one of them wasn’t on shift. It was company that Kyle appreciated.

\--

Kyle’s favourite part of the job was definitely being on drinks. He liked to feel like he was making something, rather than forcing a smile for every customer that came through the door. It didn’t help that his patience wasn’t very long; quick to anger and pulled off the counter on more than one occasion for trying to tell the customer where to put their bad attitude.

There were some people that complimented his working needs. Butters was one of them, always chipper and seemingly ignorant to any nasty words that were sent his way. He greeted everyone with a bright smile, passing receipts through to Kyle and not expecting any assistance in greeting customers.

Unfortunately he wasn’t the tallest of the team. Sure, there were people shorter than him, but he struggled to reach items that were stored high up to refill machines with. When he was on counter with Tweek it wasn’t unusual to see him lifting the blonde up to try and grab something off a higher shelf.

His next shift in found him staring at a foldable step stool, decorated with glitter stickers and a note across the front identifying it as for him.

“Gift for you,” Kenny teased. “Thought I’d leave it out.”

“Who…?”

It didn’t take many guesses. Opening the note taped to the front confirmed his suspicions.

Shortass,

I did you a favour and got you something seeing as none of you are gonna be able to reach shit today

You’re welcome,

Craig

“That fucking-?!”

It was the commotion that Tweek arrived to, seeing Kenny laughing as Kyle ranted on about the present that had been so generously given. The blonde manager looked less than impressed, though grumbled out that maybe it was a good thing. Out of them and Butters who were on shift that day, it was true that none of them could reach the upper shelves.

“I’m not using it,” Kyle snapped. “Fucker thinks he’s funny.”

“He is.”

“Shove off, Kenny.”

Their day continued as normal, and by the time the lunchtime rush was coming to an end, Butters had been the only person to use the stool. He was cleaning up the machine as he heard Butters chirp up to greet a new customer.

“Hey there, Craig! What can I get’cha today?”

He glanced up to confirm that it was the tall man on the other side of the counter, donning a navy jacket and a black graphic tee, horror movie title across his chest. Kyle looked back down at the machine until a receipt with the order info and cup was passed his way.

He turned his gaze to the smirking man leaning against the collection counter, resting a chin on his palm.

Kyle greeted him with: “You’re an asshole.”

“You say this like it’s a surprise,” Craig drawled. “How’d you like your gift?”

“I hated it, thanks.”

“I’m glad to hear it. That’s what I was going for.”

He failed to smother his smile behind a scowl. ”What are you in for; you always make fun of me for coming in on my days off?”

“I’m not coming to sit around and do college assignments. I’m just here for a takeaway coffee, because it’s nice coffee.”

It wasn’t bad coffee, that was true. Chains didn’t become so popular without having something nice about them. Kyle picked up the takeaway cup that Butters had put the order into and grabbed the sharpie from his pocket, scribbling out across the cup ‘ASSHOLE’ so that his feelings on the matter came across well enough.

“Just you two in today?”

Kyle shook his head. “Nah, Kenny’s on his break, and Tweek is the manager on shift this week. He’s in the office.”

“Good to know. I’ll pop through.”

“I thought you were just here for a coffee?”

Craig shrugged. “Yeah, but I might as well say hi to Tweek while he’s on shift. I haven’t seen him in ages.”

“Don’t bother him too much. He looked pretty busy.”

He hoped that he didn’t sound as jealous to other people as he did to his own ears.

If he did, Craig didn’t give any sign that he recognised it. He took the cup when Kyle offered it, not breaking their eye contact as he did so and continuing to lean on the counter.

“Did you get your assignment finished?”

“Yeah, I did,” Kyle answered, not wanting the conversation to end just yet. “Handed it in yesterday. Thanks for the second coffee.”

“I figured if I brought one to you it’d save you coming and harassing me while I was trying to work.”

Kyle’s lips twitched upward. “You sure it’s not because under all them unfriendly words you do actually care about us?”

Craig finally looked away and stood up straight. “Dunno what you’re talking about.”

He grinned. “Sure you don’t.”

The dark haired man disappeared into the back where the manager’s office was, leaving Kyle and Butters out front on their own once again. He went back to sorting out the machine as he chattered away to the blonde with him.

Half an hour later saw him using the stool to reach the top of the machines along the back counter, wiping down the top to make way to set up mugs for storage, when the door to the back office opened. He looked over to see Craig finally leaving, grey eyes raking up and down Kyle’s frame, smirk forming as he saw the stool Kyle was standing on.

He didn’t know if the heat in his cheeks was from being caught out, or from the pleasant way his heart sped up at having Craig’s eyes on him.

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything. Tweek suggested you took your break while it was quiet.”

He finished cleaning as the bell at the front door went, signalling that Craig had left. Once he’d done he left Butters to finish up, disappearing into the staff area to have lunch. He passed Kenny, who wasted another five minutes chatting before he went to help Butters.

He scrolled through his phone as he ate in peace, heading into the manager’s office to check on Tweek before he went back to work.

“Hey, do you want anything?”

Tweek snapped his head up, hazel eyes wide and fingers stilling against the keyboard. “What?”

“Coffee?”

“Oh!” the blonde shook his head wildly. “No, thanks man, but I’m good. I’ve not finished this one yet.”

Kyle looked to the corner, frown forming as he saw a takeaway cup, black letters across the side reading ‘ASSHOLE’.

“Did Craig leave his drink?”

“Probably hoping I’d finish it. He doesn’t really like coffee,” Tweek explained. “He only drinks like, hot chocolate.”

Kyle frowned at the cup. “Then why does he order coffee? Did he know you were in?”

Did he order it for you?

Tweek scoffed and turned back to the computer. “Because he likes to look cool.”

“What?”

“He never orders it when he’s on his own. Sometimes when we’re out, he’ll order it so that he can pretend he’s giving me the hot chocolate. He’s such a fucking dork.”

Kyle tried not to feel wounded knowing that he was receiving this information second hand from Tweek.

“Don’t worry about it, man.”

He looked back to the manager, who was giving him a lopsided smile.

“He doesn’t want you to think he’s a loser, probably.”

“I already think he’s a loser,” was his automatic response.

Tweek snorted with laughter.

\--

It took him an embarrassingly long time to notice the list that was posted to the staff notice board. It wasn’t something he took much notice of. He thought it wasn’t something that anyone took much notice off. But he saw Bebe posting it up, humming to herself as she did so, and had to ask.

“What’s that?”

She jumped a mile in the air. “Shit! Kyle! I didn’t notice you’d come in!”

He moved to stand by her side, looking up at the piece of paper. The date was posted at the top, signalling the beginning of the week, with her name underneath and a future date written next to it.

Before he had a chance to ask her again what it was she had been doing, she’d spun round and disappeared from the room, door to the front swinging shut as she vanished. He shrugged it off, putting it out of his mind until his shift properly started, when he could ask Craig.

“It’s been there for ages,” the man muttered with a sour look on his face. “But I dunno what it is.”

“Have you asked anyone?”

“Nah,” he shrugged. “Someone’ll tell me if it’s important.”

Before he could make a scathing comment there was a customer waiting to be served and Craig had his Customer Service Face in place. It didn’t look that much different to his normal one.

A lull in the day rolled round and Wendy, the manager for the day, came through to suggest that two of them went off together and she’d help cover the front. Bebe was happy to offer for the boys to go first, linking arms with Wendy and a wide smile at the idea of spending part of her shift with her friend.

Kyle offered to make two coffees for them to bring through, and Craig disappeared into the back. He worked on autopilot, making himself a latte, and then-!

He hesitated as he picked up the second cup. Then moved for the hot chocolate.

Craig was already snacking when he got to the seating area set up for their breaks in the back room, and Kyle put the two drinks on the table. Nothing was said until Craig reached for his own and he realised what Kyle had done.

He looked up, wide eyed at Kyle, who tried to give nothing away.

“Who-?”

“Tweek,” Kyle gave him an unimpressed look. “I wrote on your cup, so it was pretty obvious you’d given him your drink.”

Craig’s face darkened to pink.

“I won’t tell anyone. Don’t want to ruin your tough guy aesthetic.”

“I don’t have a tough guy aesthetic.”

He smirked across the table. “Sure you don’t.”

Craig grumbled as he took a sip, looking back down at his phone.

“So, this paper Bebe made…”

“Ugh, really?” Craig grimaced. “You’re still on that?”

“I’m sorry that I like to know what’s happening around me!” Kyle huffed. “You said it’s been there for ages?”

“Yeah, they update it every month. Some of them write their names on it with dates.”

Kyle spun round, though Bebe’s name was the only one there.

“Not everyone does.”

“Wendy doesn’t?”

“I dunno. I never really gave it much notice.”

“She didn’t answer me when I asked her about it.”

“Maybe you should ask again?”

Kyle hummed in acknowledgement. He wondered who else’s names showed up.

“What did you bring in for lunch?”

“You’re not stealing my food again.”

Craig tried to hide his grin behind his hand. “But you bring in good food. I’ll trade.”

“Just cause you bring in the same boring sandwiches every day.”

“Yeah, and you get Kenny to cook for you.”

It was a familiar argument that he always lost. He couldn’t help it. He might’ve been stubborn to a fault, but he was weak for some things.

For some people.

It didn’t help when Craig would lean into his personal space, pout on the handsome face, asking if he really had to beg. That was enough to break Kyle’s resolve.

He tried to bring up to Bebe what she had been writing on in the morning, but she shrugged it off as just a thing between the girls. Nothing he needed to worry about. Craig didn’t help matters at all as he agreed that it was probably best to just let them get on with whatever it was.

He wanted to know.

\--

It was absolutely not just something between the girls, because Butters and Tweek were on there.

He scowled as he looked up, seeing Bebe, Kenny, Tweek, and finally Wendy’s name on the list. It was growing by the day. He wanted to know what it was.

Craig had reluctantly agreed to asking Tweek about it, though wasn’t convinced he’d get anywhere. As soon as he saw Kenny’s name on the list he cornered his friend to try get the answer out of him a lot more forcefully than he had Bebe, but the blonde grinned his Cheshire cat grin and suggested Kyle just write his name down with a date, and then maybe at the end of the month he’d find out.

It was infuriating.

He had to wait a full week before he got any indication of the truth. It presented itself as Butters.

He was taking over from the blonde on shift, who had spent the morning in with Craig. Butters was in the staff area getting ready to leave when Kyle came in, but as soon as Kyle stepped into the room he launched into a panicked frenzy, arms moving wild as he spoke and puppy dog blue eyes watery.

“I’m so sorry, Kyle!” he started. “I didn’t mean for anything nasty to come outta the list or anythin’, I just thought it was all in good fun!”

“Woah, dude, slow down,” Kyle dumped his bag as he headed towards the panicking blonde. “What are you apologising for?”

“I know Craig was mighty upset about it, so I don’t blame you if you are too!”

“Upset about what?”

Butters froze with wide eyes. “Uh, about – has Craig not told you?”

“Told me what?”

Blue eyes glanced behind Kyle to where the board was.

Kyle looked over his shoulder. There was nothing unusual about it. The same board, with that same, damned list.

“Wait, he knows?”

“Well, I gotta go!” the blonde was half way to the exit before Kyle could react. “I’ll let Craig fill ya’ in!”

“Butters, wait!”

He didn’t. Instead he fled the scene, and Kyle was left wondering what the fuck was happening.

There was one way to find out.

As soon as his apron was on, he stormed out to the front, seeing Craig and Tweek out there already. Tweek was off at the tables cleaning, while Craig remained behind the counter. He was thankful it was quiet at least as he marched up to the dark haired boy, who gave him a lazy greeting.

Kyle wasted no time and declared: “You know what the list is for.”

Craig tensed at the observation, eyes flickering away from Kyle. “Who told you that?”

“Butters.”

“That fucking narc.”

Kyle scowled, folding his arms across his chest. “Why did he come up to me and apologise about it? What the hell is it about?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“If it didn’t matter, you wouldn’t be being cagey about it.”

Craig’s lips pulled into a sneer. “Why can’t you just let it go? It’s really not worth the trouble.”

“Because if everyone’s refusing to tell me, that means it might be about me, and I think if that’s the case I deserve to know!”

He knew it sounded a little paranoid, but he couldn’t help it. He hated the idea that people were talking about him. The way that Craig’s brows pulled down in pity had him turning away with a flush of shame, though he didn’t back down.

“Fine.”

He sucked in a breath as he realised he was finally going to know. Craig moved, shuffling his weight as he scratched the back of his head and-!

Was he blushing?

“It’s…a betting pool.”

“A betting pool?”

“Yes. A betting pool.”

Kyle cocked his head. “For what?”

“For…Jesus, they’re betting on when we’ll start dating, alright?”

His brain took a moment to process that one.

He opened his mouth to respond, but had absolutely zero words. He wasn’t sure how he really felt about it. He wasn’t sure he was really doing very well at processing exactly what it meant.

“You mean as in…?”

“Me and you, yes.”

Craig’s voice was short and frustrated, angry expression on his face despite the red embarrassment on his cheeks. The grey eyes still wouldn’t look at him.

“Oh.”

He honestly couldn’t think of anything more intelligent to say.

“That’s…not what I expected.”

Craig sighed, clearly annoyed. “Yeah, well, I found out for you. So you’re welcome.”

“Thanks.”

“If they wanna waste their money, I’d say let them,” Craig declared. “If they’ve really got nothing better to do than be a bunch of gossiping grannies.”

Kyle followed Craig’s eye line to where Tweek was cleaning tables, completely ignoring them, despite the fact that Craig’s voice rose at the end with an obvious barb.

“I’m gonna go get ready now you’re in. Kenny should be taking over from me soon.”

“No problem,” Kyle gestured to the back room. “I’ve got this covered.”

Once Craig was out the room, it fully settled in.

He felt the embarrassment rise all the way to the tips of his ears, elbows against the counter as he groaned into his hands. He’d thought a lot of things about what the list might be, but not once had the idea of a better pool crossed his mind, least of all for when he would start dating Craig.

He wondered if it meant he was obvious. Clearly, given everyone thought they were going to date. He wondered if Craig knew.

He thought he’d kept it so put together.

“Sorry, man.”

He glanced out a gap in his fingers, seeing Tweek on the other side of the counter, having the decency to look ashamed.

“I should’ve known one of you would figure it out and stopped it, not – taken part.”

“You did take part,” Kyle noted, keeping his face covered. “You really think we’re…?”

Tweek scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Come on, Kyle, I’m not an idiot. Of course I think you like each other.”

He flushed at that. “Has he…told you he does?”

“No, Craig doesn’t tell me shit. I only know stuff because I’ve known him so long. Like the hot chocolate. I think I’ve known him long enough to know what he acts like when he likes someone.”

His brain promptly shut down his speaking capabilities.

Kenny was in within five minutes, and Craig was out with a rushed goodbye. He continued his shift in a bit of a daze, getting orders wrong twice before Tweek suggested he took five minutes to sort his thoughts out.

It was where Kenny found him when he went out for his break; in the back room at the table, staring at the notice board with an intensity that might set it alight.

“You figured out what it is, then?”

He raised a brow at Kenny.

“Just with that look on your face.”

“How does it work?”

Kenny shrugged. “If you wanna put a bet on for the month, you give Bebe five dollars, and then write the date, and nearest wins.”

“But…” he had to swallow his pride as he tried to figure out how to phrase his question. “No one could’ve won, yet?”

“Nah, not yet. She’s been keeping the money. It’s up to about a hundred bucks now.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yeah,” Kenny laughed. “If you’re thinking of confessing anytime soon, pick my date, would you?”

Kyle felt heat rising on his face, but didn’t answer. Not directly. Instead he stood, heading over to the list and taking it off the board, hearing Kenny sigh behind him.

“Was fun while it lasted…”

But Kyle didn’t throw it out. Instead he picked up the pen that was kept in a pot stuck to the wall, moving to the table, and began to write. First, his name. Second, a date.

He didn’t meet Kenny’s gaze again as he headed to the lockers, opening his own and pulling out the wallet that was there. He withdrew a five dollar bill and took it to the board, using a spare pin to secure it to the paper.

“Tell her it’s from me.”

“Sure thing, dude.”

Kenny let him return to his work without any more questions, and he was thankful for it. Once he was back to the front serving customers the weight of exactly what it did hit him. But it felt right.

He chose the date to be the very next day, when he knew Craig was on shift.

\--

He nearly chickened out. Kyle liked to pride himself on being able to follow through on his promises, but in this instance the nerves were really getting to him. He had to really force himself out of the house after having changed twice to make sure he looked alright. If he was going to confess to his crush, he wanted to at least be presentable.

He opened the door to the coffee shop, picking later in the day to do it when it would be a quiet point. He thought maybe he should do it earlier so that Craig wasn’t stuck at work all day with whoever he was on shift with knowing that Kyle’s name was written down on the list, but he kind of liked the idea of making the

He was right that it was quiet. Bebe was cleaning the counters, Tweek at the coffee machine cleaning while Craig sat on the counter talking shit to his friend. At his entrance the dark haired man hopped off the counter, turning to greet the customer before he saw who it was.

His whole face lit up red.

Kyle couldn’t help but smile in amusement.

“Bebe,” Tweek’s voice broke through the silence. “Can I see you out back about something?”

She looked up to take in the full scene and looked positively heartbroken. “Can’t we stay?”

“No. Jesus, man, let them have their privacy.”

“Thanks, Tweek.”

The manager nodded towards him as he shooed Bebe into the back room, leaving the pair of them out front.

Kyle approached the counter, clearing his throat as he did so. The intensity of the grey eyes was a little nerve wrecking and Craig hadn’t broken his eyes away from Kyle.

“So, I take it…she got my bet?”

“Yeah. She…hasn’t stopped asking me about it.”

He chuckled. “I thought she might give you hassle.”

Craig’s eyes narrowed, smile twitching at the corners of his lips, though the redness didn’t die down.

“I figured that if I was going to ask you out, I might as well win the pool to get the money. It can pay for our first date. If you say yes?”

The grey eyes finally looked away. “Are you…just asking for that?”

“What do you mean?”

“To end it, or get the money, or whatever?”

Kyle sucked in a breath. “No, I’m not. I genuinely want to ask you. I – I do like you. A lot.”

“You’re a fucking dick for leaving me with her all day,” Craig bit out through the smile spreading across his face. “You know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” he grinned wide. “Consider it payment for the step stool.”

Craig met his gaze again, smirking down.

“So…will you go on a date with me?”

“Yeah. Let’s take their money and blow it all in one night.”

Kyle looked up to where the door to the staff area was, seeing chocolate brown eyes peering through. “Hey Bebe!”

She poked her head through, completely unapologetic for spying. “What?”

“You owe me a hundred bucks.”

The ungodly squeal she gave had him laughing, disappearing back to the staff area while shouting for Tweek. Tweek, who came through furious and argued that the bet was about them, so that meant they couldn’t enter the pool themselves.

Craig gave that smug smile that suited him so well, leaning against the counter as he asked: “Where’s that rule written down?”

“I paid my way just like everyone else,” Kyle said.

With some persuasion, Kyle successfully got the money off Bebe. It helped that when Wendy found out she championed for them to get it; the hopeless romantic underneath shining through as she swooned when Bebe explained what happened to her. She also managed to wrangle the roster to be on shift the day that they were due to go on a date and insisted that Kyle would be allowed to leave early.

Craig came by for the end of his shift to pick him up, waiting at the front counter while Kyle got changed. The redhead left the back rooms to find Craig and Wendy chatting, though it died out when he showed himself.

Craig turned to him with a smile. “Ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready!”

Once they were outside he felt a shoulder brush against his own, silence not lasting for long as he started to ask how Craig’s shift had been and the man launched into a rant about his least favourite customer of the day. If there was one thing that was clear as they headed towards the arcade where they had decided to spend all the money, it was that not much would change in their dynamic.

Though, maybe something nice might change, if the hand slipping into his own on the way home later said anything.

**Author's Note:**

> I realised I'd never written a coffee shop AU and that's just a travesty. 
> 
> And that's seven!! I'm honestly so proud of myself for managing to get one out every day after my meltdown on the first day, but I feel much better now! Thank you to the mods for organising this. It's been absolutely amazing <3


End file.
